Besler with his parents and Monogram Club Executive Director Beth Hunter during halftime of Notre Dame's 2011 game against Connecticut.

Aside from Major League Baseball (go Red Sox…) and Wimbledon, there’s not a whole lot going on in the world of sports at this time of year. Even for diehard sports fans, it’s a nice break – the calm before the storm that is certain to pick up in early August. While many Notre Dame student-athletes are back on campus for summer classes and workouts, there is still about a month and half until the first games, which of course, will be played in the Atlantic Coast Conference!

As you can imagine, there’s not a ton of exciting news to report this week, but I wanted to share a couple of updates on a pair of four-time Monogram winners and recent Club honorees. If you have some time before firing up the grill or heading to the beach, I suggest checking them out.

For the UNDerground blog, Michael Appelgate wrote a great piece on former Irish All-American and Academic All-American Matt Besler (’09), who is currently playing with Sporting Kansas City in the MLS. Besler, who was honored by the Monogram Club during halftime of a 2011 Irish soccer game, has also become a standout defender for the U.S. men’s national team.

Meanwhile, the Notre Dame soccer blog, Irish United, has a new feature on Justin Morrow (’10). Men’s assistant coach and four-time Monogram winner Greg Dalby (’07) recently spoke with the Cleveland native about his pre-game ritual, favorite Notre Dame memories and his plans for after his playing days, among other topics. Morrow returned to campus this past September, where Executive Director Beth Hunter presented the MLS all-star with a framed collage celebrating his Irish career during halftime of Irish’s game against Oregon State.